Paella in a can via Grey’s Fine Foods
Grey’s Fine Foods is a new importer of Spanish food to the UK, hoping to take on well-established players like Brindisa.
It’s run by Yorkshire-based, Spanish-born Javier De La Hormaza, and it already stocks 200 products from 18 regions in Spain. The catalogue lists everything from milk-fed lamb and jamon iberico to anchovies, turron, caviar and olive oil. Grey’s (the name comes from ‘graze’) also prides itself on its selection of Spanish wines and brandies.
“Spain’s export markets have always been focused on South America and, recently, Germany, with the UK left to one side. But no more! We want to build those bridges and offer a range of fine foods and wines that have been almost impossible to source in Britain in the past,” Javier says.
Olive oil and jamon iberico
Grey’s kindly sent me a box of products to try, including this delicious, melt-in your mouth jamon iberico and award-winning Fuenroble olive oil.
But I was most intrigued by their paella-in-a-can offering from Querida Carmen, for people in a hurry.
“A gourmet paella ready in 20 minutes with no chopping or messing the kitchen,” Grey’s promises.
Paella in a tin
Inside the can, which promises all-natural ingredients, low in salt, it’s a little soupy. I followed the instructions and brought the concoction to the boil, before adding the rice.
You leave the stew on a soft boil for 20 minutes, then take it off the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes.
I’ll be honest, I gave it a little longer, as the broth wasn’t fully absorbed. I then spooned it out into my paella pan.
The result was a little liquidy – more like a risotto than a paella (and not doing it in a pan means you don’t get the black crispy bits). It was undeniably tasty, with good chunks of sausage and squid, and we made short work of it.
However, it didn’t quite get the taste of paella right for me. Also, at £12.50, it’s not cheap. On the other hand, it was incredibly simple to make.
The paella was a fun experiment – and the jamon was murderously good. I’ll bear Grey’s in mind next time I need to source some Spanish goods – though I wonder if they’ll go the Brindisa route, and open a shop. And a restaurant…
Find out more on Grey’s Fine Foods website.
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M&S to launch ‘España’ Spanish ready meals
M&S is launching a Spanish food range. Image: M&S
Spanish food lovers rejoice! Sort of.
A new range of Spanish-inspired ready meals is coming to the UK high street — but it’s not just any range, it’s an M&S range.
That’s right: Marks & Spencer is launching its España selection of Spanish main courses in April. There are 11 dishes in the range, from seafood paella (£7.99, 750g) to chicken with patatas bravas and garlic alioli (£6.99, 700g), braised pork with cannellini beans and migas (£7.49, 700g), and beef estofado (£7.49, 760g).
There are also side dishes in the form of layered vegetable tumblet (£3.99) and piquillo pepper and tomato bread (£1.99).
“We’ve raided the Spanish larder to create this vibrant range, full of the simple yet bold flavours that the country is famous for,” says the M&S release. “From olives and hams to vinegars and sherries, all the ingredients are authentic, so the taste is too.”
Tempted? The Espana range is out in April. Image: M&S
I know that Sainsbury’s has offered a paella ready meal for a while, but M&S clearly thinks it’s on to a winner by expanding the range. Supermarkets have reported seeing Spanish food sales overtake Italian in 2011, so perhaps now is the time to cash in.
I haven’t tried M&S’s dishes yet, of course, but I look forward to popping their plastic films with a fork and flinging them into a microwave some time soon. Or maybe I’ll just have another go at making the real thing:
Yes, I made a paella for the first time last week. It was gooood. Image: ksalty
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Rick Stein’s Spain: Win the book
Vida London has two copies of Rick Stein's Spain book to give away.
Rick Stein has been busy exploring the best of Spanish cuisine in his latest BBC 2 series – and Vida London has two copies of his book to give away.
To enter and be in with a chance of winning, just leave a comment below telling me what is your favourite Spanish dish and why?
I’ll choose the best two entries by Friday 19 August.
Important note: offer is only available to UK-based respondents.
Rick Stein’s Spain is the Padstow-based chef’s latest culinary adventure. “I’ve wanted to make a series in Spain for a long time. I love Spanish food and I’ve been going there since I was a young boy – but until quite recently I don’t think people really took the food seriously,” Rick says.
The first episode of Rick Stein’s Spain covered the northern coast while episode two saw Rick delving into the food on offer in the Basque Country and Cataluna. Episode three focused on Valencia and central Spain, while the series finishes on 4 August with a romp through Andalucia.
Rick Stein’s Spain (£25; BBC Books) features 140 recipes inspired by Rick’s travels, along with 100 photos. This giveaway comes courtesy of the fine people at Ebury Publishing/BBC Books!
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El Dia E: Spanish Day at the Instituto Cervantes, London
El Dia E at Instituto Cervantes on 18 June is a day of Spanish activities.
Attention all students and would-be students of Spanish!
The Instituto Cervantes in London is holding an all-day Spanish-speaking party on Saturday 18 June at its HQ in Eaton Square, Kensington.
‘El Dia E’ kicks off at 10am and features of a range of activities including live dance by the Bolivar Hall Dance Group from Venezuela, live music and a performance of Mexican folklore.
There will be a Spanish cheese tasting, a jamon-cutting workshop and a sale of Spanish and Mexican products, as well as a paella cooking demonstration with chef Gines Lorente, and a flamenco class with dancer Sara Olivar and musician Tony ‘El despeinado’.
All this plus taster Spanish classes (the mainstay of the Instituto Cervantes), games and children’s activities.
And the price? Free to you; just reserve in advance via reservas.londres@cervantes.es or 0207 201 0750. Visit the Instituto Cervantes London website for more info.
El Dia E isn’t just a London thing — it will be celebarted at 77 Institutos Cervantes centres all over the world.
Instituto Cervantes boasts around 200,000 students worldwide — 59,000 of them participating in its Aula Virtual de Espanol.
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A Taste of Spain hits London’s Regent Street on 5 June
A Taste of Spain returns to Regent Street in London on 5 June. Image credit: DraXus
London’s annual Spanish festival will be taking place on Regent Street on Sunday 5 June.
A Taste of Spain is the official, Spanish tourist board-backed promotional extravaganza, showcasing all that is best about Spanish food and culture — albeit on a busy, closed-off thoroughfare in central London at the mercy of the British weather.
This year’s event boasts a dedicated sports area with a Formula 1 Valencia GP simulator as well as trophies and memorabilia from the World Cup.
From the Taste of Spain website:
Gastro fans or culture vultures can stroll through Aragón, Andalucía, Valencia, Basque Country, Segovia and Navarra to unravel the secrets of the regions and sample some tasty ‘comida Española’ such as jamón, gazpacho and paella
Different regions of Spain will be represented at A Taste of Spain. Image credit: Ariaski
In what may well be a highlight of the day, the Valencia stand will be cooking a fresh 2m-wide paella and serving it up to the public at 13.30 and 17.00.
Not to be outdone, the Aragon section will be presenting traditional live music from the region through the day and serving up strips of Teruel ham.
The Andalucia stand, meanwhile, will be offering up its own jamon and gazpacho. This is the type of culinary competitiveness that Londoners like to see.
A Taste of Spain, which has been running for several years, is also backed by the Regent Street Association and the Evening Standard.
For the first time, the festival this year held a warm up event in Canary Wharf in May, while other Taste of Spain events are slated for Leeds and Edinburgh in July.
A Taste of Spain London will also feature a 'sport zone'. Image credit: A Taste of Spain
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